Editor's note
|
|
Have you ever checked the surf forecast before paddling out? You owe Walter Munk a debt of gratitude.
The oceanographer, who turned 100 this week, has been described as the “Einstein of the oceans”. During his eight-decade career he discovered how waves travel around the world - helping surfers know where to catch a good set.
|
Michael Hopkin
Environment + Energy Editor
|
|
|
Top story
|
Like big waves? Thanks to surf forecasting, you’ll know when and where to find them.
Shalom Jacobovitz/Wikimedia Commons
Paul Spence, UNSW; Shane Keating, UNSW
Walter Munk might be the most under-appreciated man in surfing, but he is a big deal in ocean science. If you've ever checked a surf forecast before paddling out, you have him to thank.
|
Environment + Energy
|
The new policy could end up feeding demand for coal.
AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts
John Quiggin, The University of Queensland
By rebranding coal as 'dispatchable', the government's National Energy Guarantee looks set to preserve demand for coal-fired power by giving it a new role – one it's not well equipped to fulfil.
|
Arts + Culture
|
Beauty is still understood as a process of ongoing work and maintenance.
Shutterstock
Michelle Smith, Deakin University
The history of dangerous cosmetics shows us the harms that women have suffered to meet expectations of what is beautiful.
|
The academy has changed substantially since Plato’s time.
Wikimedia
Trevor Burnard, University of Melbourne
Australian universities are teaching 'identity politics' at the expense of Western history, according to an Institute of Public Affairs report. But unis make decisions based on student demand, not politics.
|
Politics + Society
|
Eight teams will take to the field for the second AFLW season – but transgender woman Hannah Mouncey will not be among them.
AAP/Dan Peled
Catherine Ordway, University of Melbourne; Allistar Twigg, University of Melbourne
The decision to exclude transgender woman Hannah Mouncey from the AFLW may breach anti-discrimination law, and contradicts the AFL’s public position of embracing diversity and inclusivity.
|
While fear suppresses talk about dying, marriage equality involves sex.
AAP/Danny Casey
Julian Savulescu, University of Oxford
The assisted dying bill in Victoria – complex and significant – is engendering less heated debate than marriage equality although both tap into some of our most fundamental fears and motivations.
|
Health + Medicine
|
We all have to die of something, so why can’t I die by delicious donuts?
from www.shutterstock.com
Alessandro R Demaio, University of Copenhagen
Sure, you have to die of something, but you may not have to die so soon - and you could be healthier, wealthier and happier in the meantime.
|
Sleep is the time for our brain to reboot.
Hernan Sanchez/Unsplash
Leonie Kirszenblat, The University of Queensland
Although it may appear you're “switching off” when you fall asleep, the brain is far from inactive.
|
Listen
|
Lukas Coch/AAP
Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
Gareth Evans talks about his new book Incorrigible Optimist, in which he writes about his experiences in politics and the policymaking process.
|
Science + Technology
|
Artist’s impression of the collision of two neutron stars, the source of the latest gravitational waves detected.
National Science Foundation/LIGO/Sonoma State University/A. Simonnet
David Blair, University of Western Australia
Astronomers have finally confirmed the source of the latest detected gravitational waves was the collission of a pair of neutron stars, what they'd been searching for all along.
|
We need to build algorithms that act ethically.
BEST-BACKGROUNDS/Shutterstock
Lachlan McCalman, Data61
Creating an ethical machine learning system is no simple task, but maths can help.
|
Business + Economics
|
Some gift cards can’t be used online.
Shutterstock
Nicole Ibbett, Western Sydney University
The NSW government is set to mandate a 3 year minimum expiry period for gift cards, but it isn't clear that this will solve the problem of unredeemed cards.
|
APRA chair Wayne Byres says the regulator is unlikely to use its new enforcement powers.
AAP
Helen Bird, Swinburne University of Technology
While the government hopes its new regulation will rein in the banks, it's unlikely to do so.
|
Cities
|
In Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney, just over a third of dwellings are within 400 metres of a public transport stop with services every 30 minutes, but the proportions are much lower in other cities.
Angela Brkic/AAP
Billie Giles-Corti, RMIT University; Jonathan Arundel, RMIT University
Governments, developers and urban planners all aspire to create liveable cities. Yet when it comes to Australian cities, the rhetoric and reality don’t quite match.
|
Having to own multiple cars comes at a cost to the finances and health of residents in the sprawling outer suburbs.
David Crosling/AAP
Jerome N Rachele, Australian Catholic University; Aislinn Healy, Australian Catholic University; Jim Sallis, University of California, San Diego; Takemi Sugiyama, Australian Catholic University
One of the most effective ways to reduce health inequalities across Australia is to design neighbourhoods that free residents from having to rely on cars for transport.
|
Education
|
The benefits of language-learning go far beyond being able to translate.
9to5google.com
Michael Haugh, The University of Queensland
Does the upcoming launch of wireless headphones by Google that feature real-time language translation mean we don't need to study other languages anymore?
|
Readers should cast a more critical eye over information they use from the web, to make sure the knowledge built from it is trustworthy and accurate.
Shutterstock
Kim Wilson, Macquarie University; Garry Falloon, Macquarie University
A report has discovered that while students born after 1980 have good digital skills, they need to think more critically about what they read online.
|
| |
Featured jobs
|
|
UNSW Sydney — Sydney, New South Wales
|
|
RMIT University — Melbourne, Victoria
|
|
University of Melbourne — Parkville, Victoria
|
|
La Trobe University — Bendigo, Victoria
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
|
| |
| |
| |
Featured events
|
|
Melbourne Business School, 200 Leicester St, Carlton, Melbourne, Victoria, 3053, Australia — Australia New Zealand School of Government
|
|
RMIT University, 445 Swanston St, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia — RMIT University
|
|
|
445 Swanston St, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia — RMIT University
|
|
Hyatt Regency Perth, Grand Ballroom, 99 Adelaide Terrace, Perth, Western Australia, 6000, Australia — Curtin University
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|
|
